


Drifting

by TFALokiwriter



Category: The Robinsons: Lost in Space (TV 2004)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child Loss, Dark, Family, Family Feels, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Post-Canon, Sad Ending, Tearjerker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 10:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30121227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter
Summary: The Jupiter 2 podship is drifting.





	Drifting

After three nights of Penny crying, she stopped, quite abruptly. Will didn't see his baby sister the morning after and his parents never spoke of it. When Will would ask the machine about what happened the night before, "Penny Robinson was guided to sleep and never woke up by Doctor Maureen Robinson."

For days after, his mother was seen staring out the doorway, mournfully. 

Will envied his baby sister for going out so peacefully.

The Jupiter 2 was drifting in space.

* * *

The Podship Jupiter 2 was adrift in space with remains of the battle that had occurred at the colony ship decorating the area. Don watched as the days went by as the relics went on and on and on vanishing from their line of sight as soon as the two weeks were gone. What was gone wasn't just the remains of what had been their transport, but the good times. 

Don was starving.

Everyone was starving.

It wasn't uncommon to hear loudly growling stomachs. 

The Jupiter 2 was drifting with little care to the residents inside.

* * *

"Colonel, we're heading for a asteroid!"

The announcement brought the family down to the lower deck of the podship, their hands gliding on the railing to the upper decks making a bolt down to the center.

"How much longer do we got, Major?" John asked. 

Don looked toward the oncoming asteroid then back, standing in front of the pilot's chair, grimacing.

"If," Don started. "we had enough power to start up this console then I can answer that question."

John looked toward Maureen then toward his children.

"Well, what do we know?" Maureen asked. "We just met our sad ending."

"It's not sad, mom." Will protested. "Not when we can see David and Penny again."

"And be together, no hunger, no illness." Judy saw the brightness in the darkness that was about to consume them all.

Maureen's figure was visibly trembling with despair, with grief, with sorrow. 

"We can still find somewhere to land---"

"John, don't make us try to tip the podship away." Maureen spoke, sharply. "This is enough." Maureen's anger and bitterness showed. "There is nothing for days ahead of us in dead space."

John observed his family, thinner, less healthy, not as glowing as they had been before boarding the ship and reluctant to go to Nova. He sighed, briefly closing his eyes, full of regret, despair, and saddened that it had to end this soon with his family that were going to die because of him. He could have spared the children and sent them off to their grandparents until the Jupiter 2 reached Nova. 

"But we'll always have each other," Judy said. "Not apart." Her eyes were tearful, reminding John what he had said only days earlier. "Not like David."

"She is right," Don said. "It's better than starving to death," he folded his arms. "Better than running through a exploding ship, better than dying in our sleep in those lousy freezing tubes that were abandoned during the early development of the pods, even better than being destroyed on the spot by some machine forcing us to crash."

"That would have been better." John said.

Don smirked then shrugged his shoulders.

"We can always try again in the next life getting to Nova."

The family laughed as one in amusement to the major's comment as did the major himself.

" _If_ we do decide to try, again, in our new lives." John noted. "It is unlikely."

"Everyone thought that after the invasions." Maureen reminded.

"The loss of the Jupiter colony will be remembered for centuries." It was quite shameful in all, a colony that would need to rectify the defense systems so much that it wouldn't face what had been the central core of the downfall and be unable to be altered. "No one would leave Earth without a militarized fleet all the way to Nova just in case a war is going to be started."

"Somewhere, out there, Colonel . . ." Don looked out toward the night sky, in wonder, curious, but envious. "I see that there's a version of us who had enough fuel to fly, enough power," he shifted back toward the colonel. "just enough to crash land on a planet and live, repair, then go back out there again!"

Don's hand rolled into a fist.

"They would have taken it for granted," The major seethed. "seen it as bleak, horrible, and depressing with their nomadic life style." The major wasn't quite happy about the what ifs that crossed his mind. "Cry babies."

"Not like this." Judy agreed.

"We never got the chance to survive in space." Don said.

"If only. . ." Will said. "If only. . . If only we had additional fuel stored here."

"I am sorry, children." John apologized, his voice full of regret, yet saddened with how the children were going to die with him. "We should have never brought you with us."

"It would have killed me to know you were gone." Judy admitted. "I would regret not going with you."

"So would I." Will said, lifting his head up. "Hill billy or not."

"You've been out voted." Don said with a chuckle as the asteroid came closer.

"We made it together," Judy said. "That's what matters, right?" she tilted her head. "Even if we didn't make it to home."

"That's what matters." John confirmed, proudly.

"The asteroid is just about here." Don said.

Maureen approached John then gave him a hug, Judy came next, Will was next after deactivating Robot, and Don just stared for a few minutes, "Fine, fine, fine I'll join; I never been quite part of a family hug like that before." quite exasperated that earned some hearty chuckles as they welcomed him into the hug. Yet, at the last minutes of their lives, there was only happiness. 

"Thank you for being our mom and dad." Judy said.

"Thanks for doing your best being a mom and dad." Will chimed in. "You tried, terribly, to be as close as you were with us before the invasion."

"That's why we love you." Judy finished for Will. "Dork dad."

John and Maureen exchanged a tearful look with the other, their hands clenching the others hand, proudly.

"I love you all." John said. 

The pod hit the asteroid and was destroyed and Robot was sent drifting into space.

**Author's Note:**

> If Smith did not exist. This is what would happen. Took me a entire year or so to figure out how to write this sad fic. Hope it made you cry!


End file.
